Collapsible container with gas-fluidizing container-emptying cap



May 3l, 1966 H N, KV PATON 3,253,751

COLLAPSIBLE COTAINER WITH GAS-FLUIDIZING CONTAINER-EMPTYING CAP OriginalFiled March 23, 1962 MMM United States Patent C) s 253 751 COLLAPSIBLECoN'rrNER .WITH GAS-FLUIDIZ- ING coNrArNER-EMPrYrNG CAP Hamilton NeilKing Paton, Bellevue, Wash., assigner to Granu-Flow Equipment Ltd.,Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a corporation of Canada Griginalapplication Mar. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 181,981.l

The present invention relates to a collapsible container equipped with aspecial type of cap by which gas is supplied to iiuidize granularmaterial or powder in the container for the purpose of emptying itthrough a discharge aperture in the cap. Such container-emptying cap maybe `attached to the container at a destination in place of aconventional closure. This application is a division of my priorapplication Serial No. 181,981, filed March 23, 1962 for Gas-FluidizingContainern-Emptying Cap, now abandoned.

It is a principal object of thisinvention to provide an improved type ofcollapsible container'of large capacity for storing or transportinggranular material or powder, emptying of which can lbe expedited by theuse of a special cap which will lluidize the material in the container.

In general, the collapsible container may be composed of a exible wallpreferably of substantially cylindrical shape which is reinforced bycircumferentially extending tension members spaced lengthwise of thecontainer, and internal tension members extending lengthwise of thecontainer connect its opposite ends. Granular material can be suppliedto the container by a connection to its upper portion and the materialcan `be removed from the container by a gas-fluidizing cap connected tothe lower portion of the container, which preferably is of a diametermuch smaller than the diameter of the container. Such gas-tluidizing capis com-posed of a pan having in it spaced from its bottom a porouspartition and above it a discharge duct opens toward the -top of thepan. Preferably such partition is inclined toward the discharge opening,the partition sloping sidewise and the discharge duct being connected tothe lower portion of the pan. A plenum chamber is formed between thepartition and the bottom of the pan and a fluidizing gas supply pipe isconnected to the plenum chamber for supplying gas under pressure whichwill permeate the partition to fluidize the material in the containerabove it.

The figure of the drawing is an elevation of a liexiblewall container inaccordance with the present invention having a container-emptying capapplied to it, parts being broken away.

The container of the present invention has a cylindrical vwall 55 whichcan be made of heavy rubberized material. Because of the liexible natureof the container walls, the container is particularly4 useful forshipping material in one direction so that the container can becollapsed and returned in collapsed condition. Alternatively, such acontainer can Ibe used for temporary storage purposes and can becollapsed and itself stored when it is not in use. In order to withstandthe pressure of powder or granular material iilling it the wall may berestrained by annular reinforcing bands 56, preferably made of cable sothat they can be rolled up or folded up to occupy small space when notin use. Excessive bulging of the container ends can be prevented byinterconnecting the container ends by ties '57, which again may be ofexible cable material, extending axially through the container.

The central portion of the container bottom wall can -be recessed toreceive a gas-fluidizing cap. The pan 2 of such cap can be securedaround its edges to the wall ice of the container so as to seal theopening in .the container through which the cap communicates with itsinterior. The gas-uidizing cap preferably has a gas-permeable partitionincluding a perforated plate 5 sloping from one side of the pan 2 to itsopposite side. A mat 6 of resilient permeable material is supported onthe plate 5 and slopes correspondingly. Consequently, the plenum chamber3 formed between the perforated plate 5 and the end wall of the pantapers in depth from one side of the pan to the other. A supply pipe 4for gas under pressure should Ibe connected to a portion of the panwhere the plenum chamber is comparatively deep, and such connection isshown as being to the side of the pan generally opposite the outletconduit 7 which extends therefrom transversely of the axis of thecylindrical side wall 55. Thus the gas-permeable partition 5', 6' slopessidewise to the opening of the outlet conduit 7 located just above thelower side of the partition. The portion of the container Ibottom wallencircling the central portion is shown in the drawing as being at leastas low as the lower side of the container-emptying discharge conduit 7',for engaging a supporting surface below the discharge conduit to supportthe container. In order to shift powdered or granular material from thelower peripheral portion of the container a exible dumpwall 58 isprovided in the container bottom and an auxiliary supply pipe 59 for gasunder pressure is connected to the container at a location behind thisdump wall.

The container can Ibe filled withl powdered or granular material throughan inlet pipe 60 connected to the upper portion of the container. Thematerial may be blown into the container by gas under pressure and theexcess gas can escape through the pipe 61 to which is attached a `filtersleeve 62 which will prevent powdered or granular material from escapinginto the air. The valve in the outlet duct 7 can be closed, and theconnections for pipes 59, 60 and 61 also can =be closed for shipping ofthe container. At the destination the pipes 4, 22 and 59 will beconnected to their appropriate connections.

It is desirable to provide a control valve in the discharge pipe 22controlled by handle 24. lIf .the valve 23 is now opened by swinginghandle 24 the iluidized material will flow out of the drum through thedischarge opening 8 and the conveying pipe 22. The rate of materialdischarge can be regulated both by controlling the amount of iiuidizinggas supplied by the pipe 4 and by-adjusting the position of .the controlvalve in the outlet by swinging handle 24. Even the slight slope of theupper surface of the caps partition will be suthcient to cause all ofthe material in the drum to be emptied from it through the dischargeopening S' because of the tiuidizing action of the gas supplied to thematerial in the container through the partition 5', 6 of the cap.

During the discharge of material from the container, it is preferredthat the inlet connection and the venting connection at the top of thecontainer be closed so that the container will be maintainedsubstantially in-its inflated condition by air supplied through thepartition 5', 6 of the cap. When most of the material has been emptiedfrom the container, air can be supplied through pipe 59 to force thedump wall 58 away from the broken line position shown in the drawinginto the full line position so as to move the material from the sides ofthe container into registry with the iluidizing cap. Such deflection ofthe dump wall will insure that the entire contents of the container willhave been emptied.

When the container hasy thus been emptied, 'air will be discharged fromthe container through the conveyor pipe 22 and the supply of gas underpressure through can be disconnected from the outlet duct 7 and the pipe4 can be disconnected from the gas-uidizing cap. Also the pipe 59 can bedisconnected from the container. The entire container can then be rolledup `into a small package and shipped back to the origin of the materialshipment for reuse.

It will be appreciated that during the container-emptying operation thepressure within the container will be at a value greater thanatmospheric. Consequently, it is desirable not only to restrain thebulging of the cylindrical wall 55 by the annular reinforcing bands 56and to restrain excessive `bulging of the end walls by the tie means 57,but'it is desirable for the corner portions of the container ends to becurved also. lIt will be seen that the cross-sectional curvature of thelower portion of the container between the lowermost reinforcing band 56and the edge of the gas-fluidizing cap pan 2 is substantiallysemi-circular, that is, the annular bottom wall portion is substantiallysemitoroidal. Similarly, the cross section of the dump wall issemicircular, making it also substantially semitoroidal, and its edgesare attached to the inner and outer peripheries of the semitoroidalbottom wall portion of the container, so that, when the dump wall isforced away from the container wall to the position shown in thedrawing, the cross-sectional shape of the chamber between the dump walland the lower corner of the container is substantially circular and theentire chamber is in the shape of a torus.

The edges of the dump wall are connected to the container wall atopposite ends of a diameter of the cross Vsection of such torus whichslopes from the upper edge of the gas-fluidirzing cap pan upwardly andoutwardly to the reinforcing band 56 nearest the bottom of thecontainer. The proportioning of the upper corner of the container can begenerally similar so that the side wall merges with the top of thecontainer in a smoothly rounded curve.

I claim as my invention:

1. A collapsible container comprising a flexible side wall of generallycylindrical shape disposed with the axis of such generally cylindricalside wall upright, a flexible upper end wall joined to said exible sidewall, a bottom end wall including a central bottom wall portion having acontainer-emptying discharge conduit extending therefrom transversely ofthe axis of said generallycylindrical side wall to a location beyondsaid side wall and a flexible annular bottom wall portion encircling andjoined to said central bottom wall portion and to said flexible sidewall and being at least as low as the lower side of saidcontainer-emptying. discharge conduit for engaging a supporting surfacebelow said container-emptying discharge conduit to support thecontainer, and tie means extending generally axially through saidcontainer and coni necting said central bottom wall portion and saidupper end wall.

2. A collapsible container comprising a exible side -wall of generallycylindrical shape disposed with the axis of such generally cylindricalside wall upright, an upper end `wall joined to said flexible side wall,a bottom end wall including a central bottom wall portion having agas-uidizing container-emptying cap and a'flexi-ble annular bottom wallportion encircling and joined to said central bottom wall portion and tosaid flexible side Wall and being at least as low as the bottom of saidgas-Huidizing container-emptying cap for engaging a supporting surfaceto support the container, and tie means extending generally axiallythrough said container and connecting said central `bottom wall portionand said upper end wall.

3. The collapsible container defined in claim 2, in which the tie meansare connected `to the gaS-uidizing cap.

4. The collapsible container defined in claim 1, in which the flexibleannular bottom wall portion is substantially semitoroidal, and asubstantially semitoroidal dump Iwall within the annular bottom wallportion having its inner and outer edges attached, respectively, to theinner and outer peripheries of the substantially semitoroidal containerbottom wall portion, said annular dump wall be movable by diiTeren-tialpressure away from the container wall into a position forming therewitha toroidal chamber, for dumping material from the marginal portion ofthe container onto the central bottom wall portion of the container.

5. A collapsible container comprising a ilexible side wall of generallycylindrical shape disposed with the axis of such generally cylindricalside wall upright, an upper end wall joined to said ilexi-ble side wall,a bottom end wall including container-emptying means, tie meansconnecting said bottom end wall and said upper end wall, means connectedto the upper portion of the container for supplying particulate materialthereto, and ltering vent means establishing communication between theinterior and exterior of the container.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,612,924 10/1952Cummingham 150-1 2,755,143 7/1956 Cummingham 222-193 X 2,792,262 5/ 1957Hathorn. 3,044,515 7/1-962 IEades 150-1 3,097,677 7/ 1963 Mitchell222--107 X LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

EVERE'IT W. KIRBY, Examiner. STANLEY H. TOLLBiERG, Assistant Examiner.

1. A COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE SIDE WALL OF GENERALLYCYLINDRICAL SHAPE DISPOSED WITH THE AXIS OF SUCH GENERALLY CYLINDRICALSIDE WALL UPRIGHT, A FLEXIBLE UPPER END WALL JOINED TO SAID FLEXIBLESIDE WALL, A BOTTOM END WALL INCLUDING A CENTRAL BOTTOM WALL PORTIONHAVING A CONTAINER-EMPTYING DISCHARGE CONDUIT EXTENDING THEREFROMTRANSVERSELY OF THE AXIS OF SAID GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL SIDE WALL TO ALOCATION BEYOND SAID SIDE WALL AND A FLEXIBLE ANNULAR BOTTOM WALLPORTION ENCIRCLING AND JOINED TO SAID CENTRAL BOTTOM WALL PORTION AND TOSAID FLEXIBLE SIDE WALL AND BEING AT LEAST AS LOW AS THE LOWER SIDE OFSAID CONTAINER-EMPTYING DISCHARGE CONDUIT FOR ENGAGING A SUPPORTINGSURFACE BELOW SAID CONTAINER-EMPTYING DISCHARGE CONDUIT TO SUPPORT THECONTAINER, AND TIE MEANS EXTENDING GENERALLY AXIALLY THROUGH SAIDCONTAINER AND CONNECTING SAID CENTRAL BOTTOM WALL PORTION AND SAID UPPEREND WALL.